that will not be a hard matter," he thought to himself.

"Softly, my friend," whispered fickle Dame Fortune in his ear, "not
quite so fast! Things don't always turn out just as you wish, young
sir, with your reliant impetuosity!"

Lubeck had never been at any time a bustling place, for it had no trade
to speak of; and now, since the war had crippled commerce, everything
was in a state of complete stagnation. Ships were laying up idle all
along the banks of the great canal, although spring was advancing and
the ice-chains that bound up the Baltic would soon be loosed. There
were no cargoes to be had; and perforce, the carriers of the sea were
useless, making a corresponding dearth of business in the houses of the
shipping firms. Why, instead of engaging fresh hands at their desks,
they would have need soon to discharge some of their old ones! This was
the answer that met his ear at every place he applied to, and he had
finally to give up all hope of finding work in his native town.

It was the same elsewhere.

The five milliards of ransom paid by France, brought no alleviation of
the enormous taxation imposed on Germany to bear the expense of
organising the great military machine employed to carry out the war.
The Prussian exchequer alone reaped the benefit of this plunder of the
conquered nation; as for the remaining states of the newly created
empire, they were not a farthing to the good for all the long train of
waggons filled with gold and silver and bales of bank-notes that
streamed over the frontier when the war indemnity was paid. If
possible, their position was made worse instead of better; as, from the
more extravagant style of living now adopted, in lieu of the former
frugal habits in vogue--on account of the soldiers of the Fatherland
learning to love luxury through their becoming accustomed during the
campaign to what they had never dreamt of in their lives before--
articles of food and dress became increased in price, so that it was a
difficult matter for people with a small income to make both ends meet.

Ah, there was wide-spread poverty and dearth of employment throughout
the length and breadth of the land, albeit there might be feasting and
hurrahing, and clinking of champagne glasses Unter den Linden at Berlin!

However, Fritz was not the sort of fellow to grow despondent, or fail to
recognise the urgency of the situation.

Long before Eric had gone to sea, he had fancied that Lubeck, with